Accident Overview
A helicopter involved in agricultural spraying struck power lines during its first pass over a corn field. The wires became entangled in the rotor control rods, causing the aircraft to settle to the ground. The field had been sprayed one week prior by a fixed-wing aircraft flying at an altitude of 20 feet, and no wires were noted as a hazard at that time.
Details
On the day of the accident, the helicopter pilot was in radio communication with a spotter on the ground. Neither person noticed the power lines crossing one end of a small section of the corn field. The helicopter struck the wires on its first pass, and the wires became entangled in the rotor control rods, leading to the aircraft settling to the ground.
Pilot's Perspective
The pilot stated that the reason neither he nor the spotter saw the wires was because they were strung in a non-standard manner. The non-supported span of wire was excessive, causing the wires to droop to 7 feet above the corn. Additionally, there were no guy wires or transformers on the poles to indicate a power line array. The pilot has over 5,600 hours of aerial application flying time.